Distance Learning for Students

Welcome to Distance Learning at Bergen Community College (BCC). Distance learning is a form of flexible learning whereby students can take classes from the convenience of their home or office, log in any time of the day and any day of the week, so they are not bound by a rigid class schedule. Distance learning is ideal for individuals with children at home, who work full-time, or may want to take a course that isn't offered at the time they can attend. Distance Learning is an excellent way to obtain credits towards an associate's degree as well as earning transfer credits toward's a bachelor's degree. In most distance learning courses, technology is used to bridge the gap of time and space, through the web. At Bergen Community College (BCC), we provide our students with the most flexible education alternatives for degree options, certificate completion or to take classes for personal development.

There are two types of distance learning courses available to students - online and partially online(hybrid) courses.

Online Courses

When you take a class online, you connect with the instructor and other students through the Internet, using Moodle, BCC's course management systems. You take tests, write papers, complete homework assignments, ask and answer questions, and participate in discussions from a computer with an Internet connection. Some courses may require proctored exams. Online courses have the same high quality and standards as regular on-campus courses. Although online courses are very flexible, you need to make sure you are motivated to making the commitment to login to the course regularly, keep up with your coursework, and participate in required activities. An online course is indicated by a suffix of WB -- eg., WRT-101-099WB.

Moodle is easy to use. If you can surf the web, use a word processor, communicate by email, work with email attachments and the discipline to work independently you have the basic skills needed to succeed in an online course.

Partially Online(Hybrid) Courses

A partially online (hybrid)course (indicated by a suffix of HY -- eg., WRT-101-005HY) is a class that meets part of the time in a traditional classroom setting and the rest of the class work is done online via the Internet. Typically, a partially online (hybrid) course replaces at least one meeting time per week with online course activities through Moodle. The online work is completed within the week before the next in-class meeting, but normally does not require a student to be at their computer at a specific time of the day.

It is the responsibility of the student to login to their online or hybrid course to continue weekly discussions and submit assignments at the best time of day or night for the student, giving these types of courses a flexibility not available to a regular classroom course.

You must be willing to come to campus (usually once a week) because face-to-face class time is required and an attendance policy will be enforced.

For a list of online and partially online courses, go to WebAdvisor, click the link, "Searching for Classes? Click here." Select the Term, then check the Online box to see the online courses and the Partially Online box for the partially online courses. Click Submit.